Palestinian activist kidnapped by Israeli political police

by mk

April 17 is commemorated in Palestine as Prisoner’s Day. On that day, family members and friends of the more than 11,000 Palestinians currently imprisoned by the Israeli occupation government gather in cities throughout Palestine to demand their release. Around 800 of these prisoners are held without trial in what’s called “Administrative Detention.”

This year on Prisoner’s Day, my friend Mousa Abu Maria, a Palestinian activist, was placed in Administrative Detention indefinitely. According to B’Tselem, an Israeli human rights organization, “The authorities use administrative detention as a quick and efficient alternative to criminal trial, primarily when they do not have sufficient evidence to charge the individual… Administrative detainees are not given the reasons for their detention or any opportunity to refute the suspicions against them.”

Mousa was clearly targeted because of his role as a main organizer with the Palestine Solidarity Project (PSP). PSP is dedicated to opposing the Israeli occupation of Palestinian land through non-violent direct actions, such as removing illegal roadblocks, cutting fences that separate Palestinians from their land, and demonstrating against the Annexation Wall. The group was founded in the village of Beit Ommar in the Southern West Bank during the summer of 2006.

Early in the morning on April 11th, Israeli army troops broke down the door and invaded the home of the Abu Maria family. Neither Mousa nor his family were told the reason for the arrest or where he was being taken. Two days later, his lawyer finally managed to locate him in the Ofer military jail, but still no reason for his arrest was given. Another day passed before his lawyer was told that he was suspected of membership in a terrorist organization. His interrogation turned up no evidence, and the Israeli prosecutors even admitted in writing that there was not enough evidence to put him on trial. For Palestinians, when there is no evidence for a trial, they are simply jailed without one.

This is not the first time the occupation has violently affected Mousa and his family. Mousa was last in the custody of the Shabak (Israel’s version of the FBI) in 1999. He was severely tortured and spent more than a week in the hospital. After serving five years in prison, his mother died three days after his release. This January, Mousa was shot in the head with live ammunition while standing on a rooftop watching an army invasion of his village. He survived with surprisingly little damage, though has shrapnel remaining near his eye. This is just a portion of the tolls the occupation has had on one life.

It is important to remember that his story is not atypical. Mousa’s case is unique only in that he has many Israeli and international friends through the work that he’s done. In less than 48 hours, we collected over 350 letters of support from more than 12 countries on 5 continents. Though this did not keep him from being imprisoned, it likely prevented him being further tortured. Most Palestinians obviously do not have this assistance.
For information on how you can support Mousa and Palestinian-led resistance to the occupation, please visit http://www.palestinesolidarityproject.org. Money and energy are both always needed.